Private users, as well as public users, such as enterprises, benefit today from convenient and quick access to various electronic services provided by different types of service providers over communication networks such as the Internet.
To assure the security of these electronic services, an authentication process, dedicated to verifying the identity of remote users attempting to access a service provider server, often takes place. The authentication process enables to conduct risk assessment for determining the degree of risk that a user is attempting to fraudulently access the service, using false identity. Furthermore, risk assessment may also include an assessment of the potential harm which may be inflicted on the system, should an error in authentication of a user's identity occur.
One type of authentication technique involves, responsive to a request made by a user to access a service provider server, redirecting the authentication process from the service provider server back and through the user's computer to an authentication server in a manner which is transparent to the user (e.g. using dedicated data formats such as SAML, OAuth and OpenID).
Another type of authentication technique is Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). While using MFA, a user attempting to access a computer system, is authenticated, based on at least two different authentication factors selected from three different categories. The categories include: Something you know (for example, a password); Something you have (for example, an ID badge or a cryptographic key); and Something you are (for example, a voice print or other biometrics).